IKEA Gets Into TV Business, But Is It RTA (Ready to Assemble)

The Uppleva TV from IKEA integrates a cabinet, BD player and wireless subwoofer and hipness.

If you like spending an evening translating already translated RTA instructions and looking for the missing dowel that must be in the box someplace, then the new IKEA TV is for you.

Well, in truth, we don’t know that you’ll actually have to put it together, but there’s a good chance that at least the cabinet will come packed tight using the IKEA magic that ensures anything you buy there will fit in the trunk of a car.

Yes, America’s favorite Swedish peddler of furniture, kitchen bowls and meatballs (full disclosure—I love IKEA pickled curry herring, but my mother makes much better Swedish meatballs) is entering the television business. The TVs will be manufactured by TCL, the Chinese company that bought RCA’s TV business years ago and a few weeks ago showed off a 110-inch 4K LED TV.

This one is not that big. In fact we really don’t know what sizes the system will be offered in (the one in the video looks to be about 50 or 55 inches). What we do know is that IKEA is positioning it as a system that includes a Blu-ray player, surround sound speakers (with a wireless subwoofer) online smart TV connectivity, a radio and a place for your iPod. And a single remote to control it all.

IKEA says it will start at a little under $1,000, which sounds like a decent price for all that if the TV itself is any good.

We’ll reserve judgment on everything except the video below. How can you not love that accent?